Street Rat
by Dauntingjay
Summary: All her life, 16-year-old Isabelle "Izzy" Cross has been a social outcast. She's convinced that her life won't ever be different than it is now. That she'll always live this way. But when a new chance arises to belong somewhere, you better believe she is going to take that chance. (No war. Factions still exist.)
1. Prologue

**So here's my first story for Divergent. I'm pretty excited to post this because I love the plot I'm thinking about. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent sadly. I only own my OCs who are Izzy, Jonah, Daniel, Emily, and Jessie. **

**Enjoy and please review at the end. Thanks!**

* * *

**Prologue**

Factions.

Such an ugly word. A word that could make you matter or totally worthless. If you're not a member of the prestigious factions, then you're nothing to those who are. We're lucky enough to have the kind and selfless Abnegation who help us every now and then, but they help only twice every few weeks.

I'm Factionless-born, so I'll never have the chance to be above the rest. I'm turning 16 in two weeks actually, but it's not like it matters. I'll never leave the Factionless life. All thanks to my ancestor who was a failed initiate.

Life here is hard. People die every day for many different reasons. Starvation, disease…murder. You name it. I'm sure it's happened here.

We're the undesirables. The outcasts. Street rats…

We're the factionless.

* * *

"C'mon sissy!" yells my six year old brother Jonah.

"I'm coming, Jonah!" I yell back as I ran. I ran as fast as my 12 year old legs could carry. Jonah was wanting to go to the Amity fields to watch them pick crops. We ran through the roughest part of the Factionless sector of Chicago and I was worried of what could happen.

He groaned in annoyance and kept running. I ran faster, eager to catch up with him. I couldn't let what happen to my friend Emily happen to him. I ran faster, but my legs gave out on me.

I fell, and cried out in pain, but upon inspection for any injuries, I found that I was fine. Just a scratched knee and elbow, but neither were bleeding.

I look behind me and I can't see Jonah anywhere. I panic and stand up, yelling his name. How was I going to reach him now?

Wait….I know how.

I see the garbage pile of unwanted items. I run over there, hoping I could find what I needed. After digging in there for 5 minutes, I don't find what I'm looking for and it irritates me. I growl in frustration, but as I do, I see two wheels on a board sticking out. I pull it out.

It was a board with four wheels attached to the bottom. I had seen this before in books, but I couldn't place a name to it.

"A skateboard."

I quickly turn around and see a little girl standing there. She's wearing typical Factionless clothes, all mixed colors from different factions. I stare at her.

"What?" she asks confused.

"What is it used for?" I inquire, curious as to what it is. The girl laughs.

"You ride on it. It's fun. I should know because I have one at home. Try it." She replies with a smile.

I smile and nod back, setting the board on the ground. I place my right foot on the skateboard and push off with my left. I hold out my arms for balance, but after I get a grip, I smile and push harder with my left foot, causing me to go faster. When I do, I realize I can catch up to Jonah now.

"Jonah!" I yell, cupping my hands. I finally arrive where I think I saw him go. When I go over a hill, I scream and cover my mouth in an attempt to suppress it.

My baby brother laid in a small field of flowers.

Covered in blood.

His blood.

He's dead

* * *

I wake up screaming, with images of my dead brother haunting my mind moments after it was supposed to go away. I realize that I had been crying in my sleep as tears streamed down my face without trouble. I get up and go to our small bathroom.

I light the candle on the sink next to the door. We don't have electricity in the Factionless sector, so we receive candles and matches from the Abnegation so we can see at night. Man, I seriously don't know what we'd do without them. They're the only reason we're all still alive. Those who are left, anyways.

When I look in the mirror, I don't recognize the girl staring back at me.

Her face is streaked with tears, red as a tomato, and cheeks puffy from crying. Her muddy brown hair was a disaster and her normally icy blue eyes were a dull blue. Yet, that girl was me. I sigh and begin to clean myself up a bit.

When I go back out, I'm holding the lit candle in my hand, but it's lighter outside than it was before. I grin while watching the sunrise because the colors in it is always so beautiful. Jonah used to wake me up early so we could watch it while we waited for our dad and older brother Daniel to wake up. It isn't the same now without Jonah. He died only 4 years ago.

I sigh again at the memory of my deceased little brother and go back to bed. I glance up at the mirror on the wall and I can see my reflection thanks to my lit candle in my hand. My hair looked better since I brushed it out, and the puffiness and redness in my face is starting to go away. My eyes began to go back to the regular icy blue. I was starting to look like the Factionless-born Isabelle Cross again.

After I lay down, I set the candle on my bedside table, blow it out, and I close my eyes and sleep for a few more hours before I'm forced to get up again for work.

"Izzy!"

I groan and turn the other way. I hear a sigh of frustration before a cold hand wraps around my arm and shakes me again.

"Izzy! Get up! It's time for work." A male voice says. I sigh.

"Okay. Give me a minute." I say in my sleepy voice. I hear the voice say okay as I sit up slowly. I rub my eyes and open them to see my older brother Daniel standing next to me.

"Good morning." He greets with a small grin. I smile back.

"Morning." I reply and swing my legs over the edge of my bed. Another day of being picked on and taunted by the faction members.

Seven hours later, it's time to head home. The diner was exceptionally busy today, and most of our customers were families. My guess is because it's getting closer to this year's aptitude tests and Choosing Ceremony, and the parents want to spend as much time with their kids as possible in case they transfer factions.

* * *

"Time to close up shop, Izzy." My friend and co-worker Jessie calls out.

"Coming!" I respond as I finish cleaning up and head out. "Alright. Now I'm ready. "

She nods and lets me go out the door first. She follows right behind me. Ever since the whole Emily incident, I never travel alone after work, especially at night. Emily's death was an unneeded one and my father doesn't want me to end up like her or Jonah.

Some drunk Dauntless came up to her and Jessie one night while they were heading home from work. I was home all day because I was sick, so I didn't see what happened in person. But Jessie saw it all.

The Dauntless taunted them and out of nowhere, they grabbed Emily and started beating her up. Jessie tried to help her, but one of the attackers beat her up a bit and knocked her out. When Jessie woke up again, she saw Emily laying on the ground in a pool of blood. Dead and cold to the touch. Later, we found a bullet wound through the back of her head.

I shiver at the thoughts of this horrible murder, and I know for a fact it still haunts Jessie to this day. She blames herself for Emily's death when we all reassure her that it isn't. It was those Dauntless boys' faults and they got away with it.

Man, I can't stand them. Dauntless come and kill us all the time for fun and they're usually drunk when they do come around. They're monsters. Killers.

I can't trust them easily. The only Dauntless boy I ever trusted disappeared on me years ago.

I don't know if I could ever trust a faction member again.

* * *

**There's the prologue. I have the first chapter almost done, and will probably post it soon. Please review! It really helps me out. Thank you :)**

**Until next time,**

**Dauntingjay**


	2. Second Chance

**Here's chapter 2! And in one day too. Awesome.**

**Now let me respond to my two reviews from the prologue:**

**Wilhelm Wigworthy: Not sure if you got my PM, but thanks for the kind review! It totally made my day that someone enjoyed my story idea and prologue. I can't wait to see where this goes :D**

**mythology1746: Again, thanks for the kind review. I really appreciate your feedback and it also made my day :) Here's the update you wanted!**

**Okay, I don't own Divergent. It belongs to the amazing mastermind Veronica Roth. I only own my OCs Izzy, Daniel, Mr. Cross, and Jessie. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Second Chance

"HELP!"

Jessie and I run to the source of the scream, and when we arrive, we find two Dauntless beating and kicking a downed factionless. He's crying and asks them to stop, but they just laugh.

"Such a pathetic Street Rat. You're nothing compared to us. You'll never amount to anything. You and your whole street rat family here should just die. We don't need you." One of them say. I growl and clench my fists. How could he say something like that?

"Jared is right, boy. You all are nothing. You're a waste of space. This section could be used for something better than a nest for worthless animals like you." The other says. The other guy, Jared, laughs.

"Yeah! Nice one Liam." He compliments.

That's it.

"Hey!" I yell. Jared and Liam turn towards me and Jessie. She gulps but I stand my ground and walk towards them. Jessie quickly grabs my arm before I can take a step.

"Izzy, don't…"

"Get off." I say sternly and pull away. I begin to walk towards them again.

"What do you want, Street Rat? Want to end up like your friend here?" he taunts. I growl and notice a brown bottle in his hand. This guy, like many others, was drunk. And so was his friend.

"Leave him alone." I command. Liam and Jared look at each other and laugh. I shake my head. "You asked for it." I comment and begin to swing my fist.

The boys look alarmed and surprised at my sudden attack, but catch my fist mid-punch. He twists it around and I wince in pain.

"Seriously? You couldn't beat us with a butter knife, girl." Jared remarks, his eyes cold and dark, just like the rest of the Dauntless.

He twists my arm more and I cry out in pain. I see spots, probably a side effect from the intense pain I'm feeling and I notice a shiny, sharp object being pulled out by Liam. It was a knife.

"Say goodnight, rat." Liam says and aims the knife's tip towards my shoulder. I close my eyes, ready for impact, not even attempting to fight back because I knew I would lose.

I wait for the pain of a stab, but it never came. I was knocked out of Jared's grip, but when I came to, I see Liam and Jared on the ground, rolling around in pain like the cowards they are. When I move my head slightly up, I also notice a figure dressed in all black running away from the scene. Had he helped me?

"Izzy?! Izzy, please tell me you're okay!" Jessie yells into my ear, shaking me and wanting me to respond so she knows I'm alive.

"I'm...fine." I reply. I look up and see the mysterious figure again, not running this time, but standing still and staring at me. Like he wanted to make sure I was alright. He begins to run off in the distance again before I completely blackout.

* * *

"Izzy? Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

I slowly open my eyes to find my father and brother Daniel standing over me with concerned faces. I sigh and rub my sore head.

"I'm fine dad. No need to worry." I reply as I sit up slowly. My father keeps his hand on my back to keep me from falling backwards.

"What were you thinking taking on those Dauntless? You know very well what they're capable of. They killed Jo-"

I threw a pillow at Daniel before he could finish that sentence. I didn't want to be reminded of that awful day 4 years ago. I lay back down and pull the blankets over my head.

"Izzy, I'm-"

"Just leave me alone."

I hear a sigh and the door closes. When I think they're gone, I remove the blankets and sit back up. When I do, I see my dad is still in the room.

"What is it?" I ask, irritated that they won't leave me alone. My father crossed his arms across his chest and gave me a death glare.

"What?" I ask, tilting my head a bit like a curious puppy does. He was about to answer when Daniel burst into my room again.

"Dad! Izzy! You guys need to see this!" he rants. We follow him to the living room where we gather around the TV. The news was turned on.

_"It is confirmed that this year, Factionless-born 16 year olds will be allowed to participate in the Choosing Ceremony. Five will be selected, one for each faction, through an application process. Any factionless-born 16 year old who is interested can pick up an application from the Abnegation volunteers who are visiting tomorrow to hand them out. Once they are finished, applicants can turn the completed form into one of the Abnegation volunteers where they will turn it into the Erudite for evaluation. Applicants who are chosen for this opportunity will be announced in two weeks. Now on with the weather."_

My dad turns off the TV and looks at me at the same time Daniel does. I'm turning 16 in two weeks. I'll be eligible to apply. This was my chance to be one of them. An actual faction member.

If I could pass initiation, that is.

I could.

I should.

I can.

I will.

This was my second chance. My second chance to fix what my ancestor ruined.

* * *

**Wow...talk about a plot twist! I thought this would be a cool idea for a Divergent story and I haven't seen one like it yet. Let me know what you think so far and what I can improve on. It really does help! Thanks :)**

**Dauntingjay**


	3. Chosen

**Alright chapter 2 is now up :)**

**I appreciate the review from Wilhelm Wigworthy. I'm glad my pacing is good and that you're enjoying the story so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**I don't own Divergent. Veronica Roth has that privilege. I only own my OCs which are Izzy, Daniel, their dad, and the other four factionless who were chosen to participate. **

**Please review at the end! Thanks.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Chosen

**~2 weeks later~**

I don't know what time it is when I wake up, but I assumed from the sunrise outside that it was early. My father found out last night that they're announcing the factionless who were selected for initiations this morning. Did it have to be so early?

"Izzy? Are you awake?" he called upstairs to my room. I sigh and finish getting dressed when he calls me down. After I'm done, I head downstairs.

"Ready kiddo? They're getting ready to announce the winners." My dad asks. I nod. I was extremely nervous.

"Dad! They're announcing the winners now!" Daniel yells from the living room. Dad and I run to the TV, and the three of us sit together on the couch, ready to see who was selected for this opportunity.

_"Good morning and welcome to Channel 8 news. I'm Leo Harper and this morning, we will be announcing the five factionless children who were selected for the first year of being able to participate in the Choosing Ceremony. Here's the five lucky kids who will be attending tomorrow's ceremony after today's aptitude tests, which they will take after the faction born dependents are finished with theirs. "_

Just then, the screen went black and a list of five names popped up.

1. KAYDEN GRAY

2. JESSICA LEE

3. MAX CALDWELL

4. LEILA MCGEE

5. ISABELLE CROSS

I almost passed out when I saw my name up there. I was chosen? That meant I had a chance of becoming a faction member. Of actually being someone. Someone who mattered around here.

Daniel and my father give me a look of shock. I couldn't blame them. I was pretty surprised myself.

_"Congrats to the five chosen for this great opportunity. We are looking forward to seeing you at tomorrow's Choosing Ceremony. Speaking of which, all factionless-born dependents attending tomorrow's ceremony must sit with the Abnegation as they have agreed to allow you to sit with them. Please don't forget. Thank you and now onto the news."_

The three of us stand there for a moment in silence. I sit on the couch and stare at the floor as Daniel sits on my right. My father turns off the TV.

"Well…congrats. I guess." He says. I shrug.

I didn't get it. I was picked. I was picked to become an official initiate and I wasn't happy. Was I feeling this way because I was leaving my family? Probably.

"Isabelle," my father starts. He only used my full name when he was serious. "You need to do this. You need to break our factionless family chain and have a better life for yourself."

"What about-"

"Your brother and I will be fine. The Abnegation have got us covered for now." He says, smiling as he answers my thoughts. I smile weakly.

As much as I hated to leave my family behind, my dad was right. I had to do this. I had to leave the only life I knew behind so I could have a better life for the future. I had to be brave. For both myself and for them.

* * *

I took the aptitude test an hour ago and I still don't understand my results.

Divergent? What did that mean?

I was laying on my bed, thinking about what I would choose tomorrow. My results suggest Abnegation, Erudite, or Candor.

I don't think I am smart enough for Erudite and science is so boring to me.

Telling the truth all the time wouldn't be easy and I don't want to say everything I think out loud.

That leaves me with the Abnegation. I can be selfless, but not enough to satisfy the older members who have been there for years. Overall, I had no idea what I was choosing tomorrow.

I sigh and decide that it would be a good idea to get some fresh air. I go downstairs and put my shoes on, and after telling my dad where I was going, I start my walk.

* * *

It was pretty nice out today. The sun was shining and the faction members were on their way home from their work. I sit down in an alley and watch a few of them go by.

It was still kind of hard to believe that I could be one of them. And I was determined to pass initiation so I wouldn't be at the bottom of the food chain. The only problem was what I was going to choose tomorrow.

Was I selfless?

I watch a couple dressed in grey go by and when I think about their values a little more, I decide that probably isn't the best place for someone like me.

Was I intelligent?

A group of Erudite snicker as they walk past me and I groan. If I did pass the initiation for their faction, they probably would still look down at me because I where I come from.

Was I honest?

I have told many lies in my life to save other lives of the factionless. Plus, I thought about things I didn't want to share in public and decided that wasn't where I needed to be.

If I couldn't place myself in one of those factions, then where did I belong? Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I'm meant to stay factionless.

"Hey! Little girl!" I turn my head and jump. In front of me was a man dressed in black and white. He had on glasses, and also had short brown hair with brown eyes. He didn't seem very happy.

"What are you doing soliciting in the alley? Shouldn't you be home with the other factionless, eating dinner out of the garbage?" he asks. I growl and stand up.

"First off, we don't eat out of the garbage. We eat what the Abnegation give us. Second, I'm not soliciting because I was just getting ready to leave before you showed up. And third-"

"Isabelle!"

I look past the Candor man and see my father. He's giving me the death glare right now. I gulp and walk over to him.

"Is that _your_ daughter?" the Candor asks with a disgusted tone. My father sighs.

"Yes sir, she is. I apologize for any trouble she has caused. Please excuse us for our actions." He requests. The Candor sighs and looks at us.

"Fine. But keep that street rat daughter of yours on a leash. We don't need her contaminating our precious city." He rants and turns to leave.

"Yeah, well-"

My dad clamps my mouth with his hand before I can say anything else.

"We'll discuss this when we get home.

"But-"

"Enough Izzy!" he yells and pushes me in the direction towards home.

The nerve of that guy. I swear I am going to get revenge on him somehow. But for now, at least I know for a fact that I am not going to join the smart mouth faction.

I go to bed with thoughts of what tomorrow will bring buzzing in my head. I still didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to choose something. After thinking about it all day, I think I had my decision.

I just hope it wasn't the wrong one.

* * *

**So Izzy was chosen to have a shot at becoming an official faction member. This is gonna get interesting...**

**Please review! The ceremony is up next. What faction will she choose? Tell me what you think in the reviews! :)**

**-Dauntingjay**


	4. Choosing Day

**Chapter 3 is here! Now it's time I answer some reviews.**

**Bella: I am so sorry to hear about your grandfather, but I am glad my story makes you feel better. Your review meant a lot to me, as I want to be an author one day, and I hope I can continue to write a story you love. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Cameja333: Thanks for the kind review! It means a lot :)**

**Please review at the end! Thanks ^-^**

* * *

Chapter 3: Choosing Day

Today was the big day.

I get up around 7:30 in the morning. I go through my normal routine that I go through when getting ready for work at the diner, except I wouldn't be walking in there again. Not as an employee anyways.

I get a shower, get dressed, and head downstairs where my father is making breakfast. He must hear my footsteps because he turns around and smiles lightly when he sees me.

"Hey kiddo. Ready for today?" he asks as I sit down at the table. I sigh and rub my still tired eyes.

"Yeah. I guess so. I'm nervous though." I reply, leaning on my elbow. I yawn just as Daniel comes down. He glances at me and doesn't look away for a moment, almost as if he's trying to freeze my face into his memory. He probably thinks I will never see him again.

After a minute, he looks away and walks over to dad. He whispers something in his ear and my dad gives him a surprised look.

"What do you mean? Don't you want to be there-"

"No dad. I have no reason to be there."

Just like that, Daniel tells me goodbye and gives me a long hug before leaving for his shift at the diner. I stare at the door he uses long after he has left. My father sighs and fixes us plates for breakfast.

"Don't take it personally, Izzy. He's just…." My dad pauses mid-sentence, not sure what to say.

"He's just mad that I can leave the factionless life and he can't." I finish coldly. I knew that was the reason. He had a dark and hateful look in his eye.

"No, he is upset because he's losing his baby sister. He already lost his -your- mother when you were a baby…I guess you remind him of her. I know you remind me of her." He reminisces painfully.

My mom…someone I never knew. She died shortly after I was born by a gun. A Dauntless gun.

I shouldn't be so hateful towards the Dauntless because I once knew one who wasn't like his peers. We met each other in the factionless sector everyday as kids. Then one day, when I was about 12, he never showed up to our meeting spot. The last thing he said to me before he disappeared is something I won't ever forget.

"You're worth more than you realize, Izzy. You'll matter one day. Just give it some time. I'll see you tomorrow."

Except he never showed up the next day. He was actually the first one to call me Izzy. Up until I met him, everyone called me Isabelle, my full first name. Then, he decided that Isabelle didn't fit my personality and that was when he shortened it to Izzy.

I missed him for a long time, but after a few years, I knew he wasn't coming back. So I moved on. It wasn't easy but I learned to adjust to life without his visits.

"Izzy!" my dad calls, trying to get my attention. I cringe when I hear the nickname.

"Don't call me that. Call me Isabelle." I say. I take a bite of my food and glance at my father for a moment, who's giving me a confused look.

"Um, okay." He says and finishes his plate just as I do. I hand him my plate and he cleans them, then grabs his wallet.

"Alright Isabelle. We better get going. We can't afford to be late."

* * *

We arrived to the Hub in a small group. I walked in the building and up all the stairs with my fellow factionless-born initiates. When we walk into the room, the room goes silent and all eyes are on us.

We quietly walk over to the Abnegation section and sit in the reserved first row. Our parents sit in the row behind us. I can hear the other factions snicker, but I just ignore them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me be the first to welcome you to the annual Choosing Ceremony." A lady says as she stands on the stage in a red dress. She's an Amity. They must be the hosts this year.

"This year, we did something a little different. We have invited 5 factionless-born children via an application process. We did this to run an experiment, and if 3 out of the 5 factionless-born initiates can pass initiation, then we will allow all factionless-born 16 year olds to participate next year as well. And they will be welcomed the same as the other five factions, and will have their own section here in the Hub." She continues.

That earns more snickers. If 3 out of 5 of us can pass initiation, our friends can come here next year too. All of them.

I tune out the rest of the speech, and soon they begin going over the faction manifestos and start to explain why the faction system was formed. Then, they start calling the names for people to begin choosing their new-or old-faction.

"Jena Zelenak."

They went up in reverse alphabetical order by last name. Jena chose Candor, which was the faction she was born into.

"Jackson Zennard."

I tune out some more because the factionless go last. Then, they begin to call us up after everyone else has gone. I take a deep breath as my dad squeezes my hand. He was sitting right behind me.

"I'll always love you, Isabelle. And your brother does too. Don't ever forget that. Okay?" he whispers. I nod and he squeezes my hand one more time.

"Isabelle Cross."

I stand up and wipe my sweaty hands on my pants and walk up to the stage. The other four factionless have chosen their new faction, now it's time for me to choose mine. I suddenly have flashbacks of my aptitude test.

Abnegation. Erudite. Candor.

I should pick one of those. I should…but I already decided on a faction. And I was going to stick with my gut.

Once I get up on the stage, I feel all eyes on me even though my back is turned. I take the cleaned knife and drag it across my palm. Before the blood spills, I walk over to the five bowls. I stare at the three that represented my results.

"Hurry up, already!" A Candor yells. I sigh and I reach my hand over a bowl, letting the blood spill.

It felt so good once I heard the blood drop sizzle on the hot coals.

* * *

**I bet no one can guess what faction she chose...**

**Anyways, this was a pretty good chapter. I enjoyed writing it, and I hoped you enjoyed reading it. Please review if you can and I will try to update quicker, although it may be hard since I have school all week. **

**-Dauntingjay**


	5. Lost and Found

**Oh my God! I can't believe how this story is going so far. I honestly wasn't expecting it to get as many readers as it has now, and I am really glad you guys are enjoying it. I think I am going to give a shoutout to some of you by answering reviews. **

**Love-Falling: **_Thanks for the kind review! I am really glad my originality is on track because I am trying to not re-write the same scenes in the actual book. I am glad it's intriguing so far and I can keep it interesting. As for her friend from Dauntless...well just read this chapter and maybe you'll find out more about him ;)_

**liveforambrose: **_I am sorry for keeping you waiting! Here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Also, thanks for the review! It made my day :)_

**Here's the moment you have waited for! Good ole chapter 4. Enjoy and please review at the end! Thanks ^-^**

* * *

Chapter 4: Lost and Found

After I choose, I go and sit with the Dauntless. One grabs my shoulder as I pass by. I glance at him and he smiles.

"Welcome to Dauntless."

I nod and smile back, then stand next to my fellow initiates. They stand, and look extremely nervous. One looks like he's rethinking his decision.

While I am contemplating, I notice all the Dauntless leaving. I start to leave and I decide to glance back at my father. When I do, I don't only see him, but I also see my brother Daniel. He smiles at me as I feel warm tears fill my eyes. I smile back and wave goodbye to them and they wave back.

As I leave, I swear I see Daniel mouth "Good luck."

* * *

I walk out with the Dauntless and they begin to run towards the train tracks. I stand there for a moment and stare at them. I get to follow them and go to their headquarters.

I realize that I am standing there alone like an idiot and run as fast as I can towards the tracks. I see the Dauntless climb the rails that hold up the tracks so they can climb on top of it to board the train. I do the same and stand there, looking around.

I chuckle a bit and realize I am officially an initiate. I can do this.

"It's coming!" Someone yells.

After that I hear a loud horn that signals a train coming towards us. I see it turn the corner and I watch it go by me. It was as fast as lightning and if someone stood in its way, they would be a total goner.

"Come on Street Rat! You'll miss the train!"

I see the others running off towards the north and I run again to catch up with them. One of them swing on with ease and smack a button on the door. The door slides open and he uses his strength to swing into the car. The rest of the initiates do the same and I attempt to repeat that action.

I managed to grab the door rail but I had some trouble climbing in. I was literally holding on for dear life on the door when someone grabs my hands and pull me into the car with the rest of the initiates.

I fall to the ground and pant because I am so out of breath from all the running.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm-"

I pause because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The boy seemed pretty surprised too.

"Izzy?"

"Sam?"

He grins wide and I immediately know that this boy was my Dauntless friend who disappeared on me so long ago. Now here he was. 4 years later and he's changed some. But his dark hair and icy blue eyes haven't changed a bit.

"Oh my God…it's so good to see you!" he exclaims. I can't help but smile at his happiness. He was here with me. We were going through initiation together. I had my best friend back.

"Are you going to sit there and stare at me or are you going to give me a hug?" he asks with a goofy grin. I return that grin and give him a tight hug. So tight, that I don't realize I am hurting him.

"Izzy…I...can't…breathe…" he says in between breaths. I quickly let go and apologize about a hundred times.

"It's fine! Really. Just calm down, okay?" He replies. I nod and smile again. Sam was back in my life and it made me the happiest person in the world.

"Leave me alone!"

Sam and I turn to see some Dauntless-born initiates picking on a poor Amity girl.

"Give those back! Stop it!" she pleads as the boys throw her glasses back and forth in the air. They throw them high so she can't reach them. I look at Sam and he sighs. I groan and get up.

"Hey hellions!"

The two bullies turn and look at me. They snicker and start throwing the glasses again. I growl and clench my fists.

"You two better give her those glasses back or I swear it won't end well for you." I threaten. They stop and look at me, then laugh.

"Yeah right. Like you could beat us up." One of them say. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah? Well try me." I answer. They glance at each other, put the girl's glasses in their pocket and comes running towards me, fists raised.

Were they serious right now?

"Izzy!" Sam yells from behind me just as one of the bullies are about to make contact with my face. Just before he does, I grab his hand, twist it around his back, and bend it backwards. He screams in pain and looks as though he's about to cry.

His friend suddenly grabs me from behind and tries to choke me. I bite his arm and he yells, letting go of me and then stumbles backwards. I take the opportunity to punch him in the face and he falls to the ground, a crimson pool flowing from his nose. I walk over to him and pluck the glasses out from his pocket.

"Don't you even think about messing with her again." I say and turn towards the girl. She cowers a bit, but I assure her it's okay by handing her the glasses. She hesitates a bit but soon smiles and takes them back.

"Thanks for the help." She says shyly while putting them on again. "I didn't know what else to do."

I shrugged. "No problem. I hate bullies." I answer as I glare at the two boys then I spit at them. They both groan in pain and slowly get up. As they walk away, the boys glare evilly at the Amity girl. I raise my fist at them as a warning and they quickly limp away.

"How did you do that?" I hear Sam ask behind me. I shrug again.

"I had practice over the years defending other factionless." I reply.

"Oh…right." He says and looks out the door while he rubs his arm. I turn towards the girl again.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. She nods and gives a small smile.

"I'm alright now thanks to you. I'm Olivia, by the way. Olivia Reynolds." She greets, holding out her hand. I take it and give it a firm shake. Just like my father taught me.

"Nice to meet you Olivia. I'm Isa-"

I pause because I don't know if I should still go by Isabelle or not. It just didn't seem to fit me anymore.

"I'm Isabelle. Isabelle Cross. But you can call me Izzy for short." I say. She smiles and adjusts her glasses.

"Pleasure to meet you, Izzy. And I am assuming your name is Sam?" She asks, looking behind me at him. He nods.

"How did you-"

"I kinda overheard you talking. Sorry. "She admits, chuckling a bit. Sam just laughs and so do I.

"Get ready to jump!"

All three of us turn and we see figures in the distance jumping off the train onto a roof. We all ran over and looked out the car door.

Sure enough, what we saw was true. People were actually jumping off a moving train gong 125 miles per hour onto a roof that had a huge gap in between it and the train.

"Wait…we don't have to jump too….do we?" Olivia asks with fear in her voice. Sam says we do and Olivia begins to freak out. While Sam tries to calm her down, I sigh.

"Guys, stop. We don't have a choice." I announce. They both look at me confused.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asks, gulping.

We had to do the only thing to do to get initiation going.

"We have to jump."

* * *

**So, Izzy finds her long lost Dauntless friend and saves an Amity girl from some bullies. Pretty interesting chapter, huh? I apologize if the fight sequences suck. I haven't had much practice writing fight scenes :P**

**I'll try to update again soon, but I don't know when because I have school tomorrow through Friday. Maybe this weekend I can get chapter 5 up. Anyways, thanks for reading and please review! **

**-Dauntingjay**


	6. Meet Four

**Chapter 5 is here! I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed on yesterday's chapter. I read them this morning and I was really happy with what you said. It made my day :) ****Now on to review responses!**

**Cameja333:** _Thanks for your review! I love Izzy too and I am glad someone else likes her as much as I do. I'm glad you enjoyed it! _

**Mintclaw: **_Thank you for reviewing. Glad you liked it!_

**Love-Falling:** _I would give him a nickname, except I don't know if I can make one out of Sam. I don't really want to nickname him something else. I love his name as is, so I hope you don't mind. I might need help with the initiation fight scenes, so I may be coming to you in PMs for advice. As for the fluff, that might actually be interesting to read..._

**liveforambrose: **_Aww I'm glad you like the story so far. I work hard to bring interesting chapters for you. As for your Four request...well this may be a good chapter for you ;)_

**Okay, I don't own Divergent. Veronica Roth does. I only own my OCs which include Izzy, Sam, Olivia, and Cecilia. Please review at the end and enjoy! :D**

* * *

Chapter 5: Meet Four

"We have to jump."

"What?! With a gap like that?! We'll die!" Olivia exclaims, gulping. I look to Sam for help to convince her.

"She's right, Olivia. We have to jump or we fail initiation. Do you want that?" he asks. Olivia quickly shakes her head. I can't say I blame her. The factionless life isn't great at all.

"On three, we all jump. Okay?" Sam asks. We nod and I grab his hand while Olivia grabs my other hand. I take a deep breath.

"One…two…"

We suddenly see the roof we're supposed to jump onto.

"THREE!"

We push off with our legs and for a moment we are in the air and I feel weightless. This ends when I land roughly on the rooftop separately from Sam and Olivia. I sit up slowly and rub my head.

"Are you okay?"

I look up and see Olivia standing over me with her hand outstretched. I nod and take her hand, brushing myself off while I stood up.

"That was kinda fun." Olivia comments. I laugh and then we walk over to where the group of other initiates are gathered.

"Hello initiates. Welcome to Dauntless. My name is Jason and I am one of the Dauntless leaders. This is the member's entrance to the compound. So, who would like to go first?" He asks. We look around at each other.

Suddenly I hear Olivia sigh.

"I'll go." She says. Everyone laughs and Jason raises his eyebrow.

"You sure about that, Amity? It's a long way down." He taunts. Olivia nods and walks to the edge. Jason moves out of the way and lets her step up to the edge. She looks down and I see her gulp.

She doesn't move for a second. She stands there motionless, probably scared out of her mind.

"You can do it, Olivia!" I encourage her. Jason shoots a mean look at me telling me not to do that. I gulp as he glares at me, showing his superiority. I shut up after that.

She takes a deep breath and bends her legs. When she jumps, I can hear her screams all the way down. The rest of the initiates run over and look down, and we look for any sign of her. We suddenly hear cheers and Olivia's laughter. I sigh in relief because now I know that she's okay.

"Who's next?"

We all look at each other again. I make eye contact with Sam and he gives me a nod. I know what he means by it.

"I will." I announce. Everyone goes quiet and I step up to the ledge where Olivia just jumped. I take a deep breath and take off my jacket. I throw it backwards towards some snickering Dauntless-borns and bend my legs.

And before I know it, I am in the air. Falling.

* * *

I closed my eyes on the way down and seconds later I finally land on something hard. When I open my eyes again, I am bouncing on something. A trampoline, maybe? No. It was a net.

I roll over onto my stomach after bouncing four or five times. I then feel a warm, rough hand grab mine. When I look up, I see a guy just staring blankly at me.

"Well, are you going to sit there and stare at me, or are you going to jump down before you get hit by the next jumper?" He asks. I respond by jumping down.

"What's your name?" he asks as I brush off my pants.

"Isa-"I pause again because I am still unsure if I want to be called that or not.

"Make it good. You can't pick again." He comments with a small smirk. I give a small smile back. I wasn't keeping my factionless status name.

"Izzy."

He grins and nods in approval then yells to some bystanders.

"Second jumper: Izzy!"

Everyone yells and cheers and I can't help but smile. So far so good. I just hoped I could survive the rest of initiation.

"All the Dauntless-born initiates go with Katie and all the transfers go with me."

Everyone quickly divides up into our initiate classes. I am walking over to my group when I feel a cold hand grab my arm.

"I better see your name on the board of new members after imitation is over." Sam says. I nod and give him a small smile.

"Promise."

He smiles and lets go of my arm, then walks away with the other Dauntless-born initiates. Finally, I go and stand next to Olivia as our new instructor introduces himself.

"Welcome everyone. My name is Four. I'm normally work in the control room, but for the next 9 weeks, I will be your instructor." He announces. That's when a girl behind me laughs.

Four looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

"What's so funny, initiate?" he asks.

She tries to stop laughing but can't. I roll my eyes.

"Sorry but I could have sworn you said your name was Four. Who's named after a number?" she scoffs. That's when I realize she's in black and white clothing. Oh great. A Candor.

Four walks over to her. When he reaches her, he is literally towering over her. She smirks as he crosses his arm across his chest.

"A Candor, I see. I had an initiate in my group last year just like you. She learned quickly to keep her smart mouth comments to herself. I suggest you do the same." He taunts. She rolls her eyes.

"Whatever. What could you do to me?" She shot back. I close my eyes and sigh. I feel bad for her. She was taught all her life to say everything on her mind. But with Four, that probably wasn't a good idea.

"What's your name?" He asks in a monotone voice. She stares at him for a minute and smirks.

"Cecilia Nichols." She replies. Four continues to glare at her.

"I didn't ask for your last name. But Cecilia," he says her first name with some disgust. "To answer your question, I could easily make you factionless right now." He threatens. Cecilia doesn't say anything. She just stares at him.

Well that shut her up.

"You understand?" He inquires. Cecilia nods and steps back, attempting to get away from him. Four wasn't messing around.

"Good. Now follow me for the tour. Stay close, so you don't get lost. Our headquarters are easy to get separated in." He orders. We all obediently follow him, now scared of his power over us.

This was going to be an interesting 9 weeks.

* * *

**Hm...so Izzy finally gets to meet the legendary Four. Awesome :)**

**I wanted to know what you guys think of my OCs so far. That includes Izzy, Sam, Olivia, and Cecilia right now. If you could leave your thoughts in the reviews, I would really appreciate it. ^-^**

**I will try to update again soon, but I am starting on some school projects this week, so I am not sure when I can update again. So please be patient!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**-Dauntingjay **


	7. Accidents Happen

**First off, thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter! I really appreciate it. **

**I don't own Divergent. Just my OCs. Please enjoy and review at the end!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Accidents Happen

I was sound asleep in my bunk when a loud banging noise woke me and my fellow initiates up.

"Get up initiates! Rise and shine, we have some training to do. "Four announces. We all groan.

"Meet me in the Pit in five minutes. Don't be late!" He orders and finally leaves. I groan, still tired because I couldn't fall asleep last night. I get up and head to the bathroom. I get changed into my Dauntless clothes and head down to the Pit with the others.

"Everyone line up!" Four yells. We do as he says, and it was soon after that I notice a blond haired girl that I have never seen before come up behind Four. She quickly sneaks up behind him and covers his eyes. He stood there motionless for a moment when she told us to be quiet.

Some of the girls giggled while others rolled their eyes.

"Tris? Is that you?" Four whispers. She laughs and lets go.

"Good guess." She replies and smiles. "Am I late?"

Four grinned widely. "No not at all. We were going to start combat training today. Care to help me?"

Tris nods and turns to us. Four grins again and also turned to us, signaling that initiation was about to officially begin.

"Alright, this is Tris, but you can call her Six. She will be aiding me in your initiation and will also keep a close eye on you all like I will. We will not begin the actual fighting today, but begin training. So everyone go to the targets and grab a gun. Then show us what you've got." Four instructs. After being dismissed, we all head over to the gun range.

* * *

I feel nervous with a gun in my hand, as I have seen many factionless get killed by these weapons in the past. I remind myself that if I don't do this correctly, then I am factionless again. I take a deep breath and get in a stance, and I shoot the gun.

I miss, but I know I can hit the target. I shoot several more times, all failures. I am about to give up when Six comes over and gives me some advice.

"Hey, your stance is good but your gun needs to be further away from your face so it doesn't hit you there when you shoot." She says. She then puts me in the proper stance and helps me hold the gun correctly. I shoot again, and get closer to the middle this time. I smile and look at her.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Keep up the good work." She replies, smiling back and heads onto the next initiate.

I kept practicing when suddenly I heard a scream. I looked over and saw a horrific sight that I had seen too many times.

I was looking at a boy who was laying on the ground in a pool of blood. He appeared to have a gunshot wound through the chest. A girl was over him, crying he eyes out. Suddenly, one of the leaders, Eric, rushed in and checked out the scene.

"Oh boy…" Eric says as he shook his head. "Should have seen this coming."

He then called in some people on a radio and they rushed in, putting the boy on a stretcher and ran out of the room with him. The girl who was kneeled over him was still hysterical and crying, so she had to be escorted out.

"Well…everyone get back to work!" Eric announces.

We just stood there in shock. Someone just got shot and killed and he didn't even care? Someone asked why he didn't go with them to try and save the boy. Eric's response?

"Accidents happen." He says with a shrug.

I stood there for a moment, saying a prayer for him and his family, when I realized we were shooting guns again. Everyone was scared to get shot as well, but we still tried to shoot the target anyways.

_"__Accidents happen."_

Unbelievable. I have never seen such disregard for human life. After shooting practice was over, I went straight to the dormitory and skipped dinner, angry at Eric for treating something so horrible like it's nothing happened at all.

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter was a bit short. The next chapter will be longer. **

**Thanks for reading and please review! **

**-Dauntingjay**


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